Ukraine: urgent support for the most vulnerable

Preamble (see below for key facts)

Dear friends, family & anyone else this makes it to:

For reasons I explain below, I’ve decided to do a flash donation drive for the “Help Ukraine” fund administered by dobro.ua. For the impatient and already convinced, there is a link to donate on this page. Otherwise, if you have a few minutes to read some things about the war in Ukraine and why I chose to do this, read on! 

My (small) personal connection to this conflict is my recent work in Switzerland with a particle cosmology group including both Ukrainians and Russians. It was an idyllic, privileged experience where I was shown a lot of generosity. Since the conflict started, one Ukrainian colleague risked their life by returning home to help get their family out, and a Russian colleague publicly denounced the conflict - meaning he risks imprisonment if he returns to Russia in the foreseeable future. Being back in Australia, reaping the academic benefits of the trip, it would feel a little callous not to do something. 

I’d like to make the point that Ukraine is a developing country. We see images of people on TV who look like us, and perhaps assume that as bad as things are, they are not among the “most needy”. In fact Ukraine is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with an average income 1/15 of what we enjoy in Australia. This means that finding the resources to care for the most vulnerable, difficult in any case, becomes almost impossible in a time of war. 

I chose “Help Ukraine” because it is a transparent, accountable way to give to local Ukrainian organisations in urgent need of resources to save the lives of very vulnerable people trapped in the conflict zone, or recently made refugees. A few examples of recently funded initiatives:

• Purchase of urgently needed equipment for hospitals treating adults and children with traumatic wounds, e.g. machines for sterilising instruments, vacuum therapy devices and antibiotics. Link 1 Link 2

• Delivering essential supplies to families caring for profoundly disabled children. Link

• Purchase of cloth and sewing machines for volunteers making underwear, blankets and pillows for refugees. Link

I think it’s clear that even a small contribution to these organisations is a great way to help out in a very desperate situation. If you are unable to donate, sharing this post would also be very valuable.

Regards,

Michael Bardsley

Key facts

1. The “Help Ukraine” campaign distributes funds to local NGOs and hospitals in urgent need of resources to save the lives of vulnerable civilians trapped in combat zones or internally displaced in Ukraine. 

2. The campaign period is one week, although it may be extended if there is a high level of interest.

3. The fund is not associated with the government or military activity. No donations are used for the purchase of military equipment or supplies. 

4. Transparency: full reporting is available for each sub-project funded, including purchase receipts for e.g. food and medical supplies. 

5. All donations are immediately released to “Help Ukraine”, i.e. they are not held until the campaign concludes.

More information

A full list of projects supported so far can be found here. For the English version, select “En” in the top right corner. See the “Reports and Documents” and “News” sections for each project for details, photographs and testimonials.